Mew appeared in front of Mewtwo and Ash, who had removed his hat for the meeting. She did a backflip before landing on Mewtwo's shoulder, giggling. Mewtwo looked at Ash, almost exasperated.

"Ash, this is Mew." Mewtwo said. "She seems fairly immature at times. I assure you, it's all an act. Mew is the oldest Pokémon, and it shows."

Ash stood calmly, waiting for Mew to focus on him. Espeon by his side was sat quietly in awe of the Pokémon floating around. After a few minutes Mew leapt off Mewtwo's shoulder, hovering just in front of Ash and gazing directly into his eyes.

"Do you remember me?" Ash asked. Mew gazed for a moment, before nodding slightly. "I need your help Mew. If you're willing to give it." Mew said nothing, just remained floating. "I need a way to try to placate an army of legendary Pokémon which will be angered by an attack on their kin, kin who have been captured by a trainer."

Mew still said nothing, but flipped upside down, still staring into Ash's eyes. Ash, not seeming to notice her strange behaviour kept talking.

"I know you are aware of the Pokémon that I am talking about." Ash said. "And I know you are aware of what will happen if I have to face them in battle. Mewtwo has tried, but he isn't sure of how he would be able to help. So, I need to ask. Can you help us?"

Mew gazed into Ash's eyes for a few more moments before she dropped to the ground. Espeon hissed in alarm as Mew landed right in front of her, before subjecting her to the same treatment as she had Ash. After a few moments all the fur on Espeon's body stood on end, and she growled, before lashing out. Mew giggled as she swung around, before hitting a tree and bouncing off. She kept her momentum, before hitting another tree and floating back towards Espeon who stood glaring at Mew. Mew didn't seem to care at the attack, or even seemed to have noticed it. She floated to Espeon again, before resuming her pose in front of the Sun Pokémon.

"Espeon, just let her." Ash said quietly. Espeon's gaze flicked up, before she settled down again, still evidently unhappy. After a few more minutes, Mew drifted back towards Mewtwo and started speaking. Mewtwo quickly started to translate.

"Child, thank you for helping my kin." Mew said. Ash blinked in surprise at her words, in complete contrast to her playful, immature nature. Somehow Mewtwo's warning hadn't really sunk in. "I have known Mewtwo has struggled to escape the grasp of Team Rocket, but you have ended the threat to him forever. You also have a history of helping legendary Pokémon. If any other human came to me and asked this, I would immediately dismiss it. You however, are different."

"I do my best to help all Pokémon, legendary or no." Ash said warily. "Ask any of my Pokémon, I would die for them."

"You already have." Mew said.

Ash froze. "I have?"

Mew stopped speaking, and spun to stare at Mewtwo. Her clone seemed to wilt under her gaze, backing up against a tree to try to escape Mew. As she started speaking furiously, Mewtwo didn't translate, but Espeon stepped in quickly.

"You didn't tell him?" Mew demanded. "You didn't think to tell the human who has saved you more times than I care to remember that we once killed him?"

Mewtwo found himself pressed against a tree, Mew right in his face. This was why he hated spending time with Mew. She could always make him feel young, useless. Compared to her, he conceded he was young, but that didn't make him useless. And it hadn't seemed to be a good idea to tell Ash that he had once been part of a battle that had resulted in the young man's death.

"Don't you know how to interact with humans at all?" Mew carried on, her tail pushing into Mewtwo's chest accusingly. "Particularly one who helps you? What have you done to deserve the protection of this human?"

Mewtwo didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. Mew kept throwing accusations, while across the clearing Ash was getting progressively whiter as Mew kept shouting.

"What happened?" Ash asked warily. "What happened to me?"

Mewtwo turned to face him. "It was a mistake. I was fighting with Mew, while clone Pokémon were fighting normal Pokémon. You tried to stop us, and were caught in the middle of the blast. You were killed, but the Pokémon brought you back. I don't know how. Your memory was erased afterwards. That was the first time I met you, before the time on top of Mount Canaa."

Ash felt weak. Alongside him, Espeon rubbed against his hand, comforting him.

"This is how I know you can be trusted." Mew said as she floated next to Mewtwo. "So to answer your question child, I will help you. Not just because I have faith that you do what is right, but also because I know that what you want to do has to be done."

Ash nodded slowly, while Mewtwo stood watching. Mew floated forwards before landing on Ash's shoulder. He turned his head to find Mew gazing into his eyes.

"Child, when this battles starts, the other legendary Pokémon will come, drawn by the fighting with one of their own. I will be ready to be by your side, as will Mewtwo. Hopefully they will listen to us."

"And if they don't?" Ash said, still trying to come to terms with everything he had heard. He knew that he had to be objective, and put what Mew had revealed out of his mind, to concentrate on dealing with the developing crisis.

"Then we will fight with you." Mew said.

"I owe you a great debt." Mewtwo added. "If this helps to pay it off, then I will be honoured."

Ash bowed his head. "Thank you."

There was a moment of silence, broken as Sceptile arrived. Although the Forest Pokémon arrived silently, all four in the clearing turned to face him. It had been a long time since Sceptile had been able to sneak up on Ash, despite trying every time.

"Yes Sceptile?" Ash asked.

"Tile. Sceptile." The Pokémon replied.

"Sam and Mellanie." Espeon translated. Ash's face, already white from the news that he had once died, went even whiter.

"What's happened to them?" Ash asked.

"Sceptile. Scep. Sceptile."

"Nothing." Espeon translated. "They have been talking about you. Trying to investigate your past. Going a long way into it."

Ash sighed. "I'll try to find time to talk to them about this. Probably after the battle. Make sure they don't do anything stupid. Thank you for bringing this to my attention Sceptile."

The Pokémon bowed its head, before turning and vanishing into the forest again. Ash turned back to Mew and Mewtwo, only to find that they had vanished. Shaking his head slightly, he slowly started to walk home.

Professor Samuel Oak walked into the reception of the Pokémon League. The receptionist saw him coming and smiled, before picking up her phone. She spoke into it quickly, and had put it down before he reached her.

"Professor Oak. It is an honour to have you here" the receptionist said.

"Thank you. Can you tell 'Champion' that I am here? I understand that I am a little early but…"

"He is waiting for you. If you take the elevator over there it will take you to him" she said gesturing.

"Oh. Thank you." Oak said, slightly taken aback. "I'll just go then shall I?"

The receptionist laughed as the researcher turned away and walked to the lift. As he reached it the doors opened for him. Inside, they shut automatically and the lift started moving. Oak just looked at it in surprise. He guessed that it was controlled either by 'Champion' or more likely the receptionist. Still, it was impressive.

The lift came to a stop and the doors opened. In front of him was a long corridor with a waiting area half way down. A voice rang out through the corridor.

"Professor Oak, please come to the door at the end."

Oak looked around for a moment, before walking up the corridor. The way that the Pokémon Master had set up was interesting. Many trainers would be intimidated by how totally in control he seemed to be, but Oak knew better. It was all tricks. Impressive tricks, but tricks nonetheless. He smiled as he reached the door. This interview was getting more interesting by the minute.

The door opened before he could touch it. He just kept walking, into an office. An office as simple as possible, nothing to adorn it, a simple desk with a chair either side of it. A computer on the desk, but nothing else. Everything on show. Or everything hidden. Just like he would expect from somebody as secretive as the Pokémon Master.

Behind the desk, 'Champion' stood up. He walked around the desk and held out a hand for Oak to shake, before gesturing to the chair in front of the desk and returning to his own seat.

"Thank you for coming all this way to see me." 'Champion' said. Oak nodded.

"I wasn't expecting the invitation. It's not often I see the Pokémon Master, even in my role."

"In your fame you mean."

Oak chuckled. "I am rather well known. So that is possible."

"Do you know why I asked you here?" 'Champion' asked.

"Not a clue." Oak said. "Many options; you want to tell me that you accept my resignation, you think that I shouldn't resign, you want to convince me that I shouldn't."

"None of those."

"Then no idea."

"To personally thank you for your years of service. It has been a phenomenal record you hold. Serving the league for as long as you have."

"Thank you." Oak said sincerely. "It means a lot to hear that."

"I will of course endorse your desire to have Gary Oak take your place as the regional professor."

Oak felt a weight off his shoulders. His one fear would be that the Pokémon Master wouldn't permit him to pick his replacement.

"Thank you." Oak said again. He wasn't sure what else to say but 'Champion' just nodded.

"What are your plans now?" 'Champion' asked.

"I want to explore the world. I've sent out so many trainers over the years, I want to see a bit myself."

"Anywhere in particular?"

Oak smiled. "Remote areas. I've had enough of humans for now."

"I see." 'Champion' said. His mind was whirring. He could use some advice, but the Professor was canny enough to ask for something in return. And if Professor Oak was going to be going to remote places, then if he revealed things by mistake it wouldn't matter so much. He knew he could trust Oak if he had to. "In that case, could I ask for some advice from a knowledgeable man?"

"You, need advice?" Oak said incredulously.

"I don't need it, but it would be appreciated nonetheless. What do you know about legendary Pokémon?"

"That an old trainer who left from Pallet got to know far too many." Oak said with a wide smile. Without an accompanying laugh from 'Champion' he quickly changed tact. "I know that they should be left well alone. This is why your legendary law is important I assume?"

"Yes. Tobias has challenged me to a battle. You may know of him."

"Yes. He once thrashed a young man, the trainer who got to know too many of them. Ash. He went on to win the Sinnoh League."

"Do you know what will happen when I fight him?" 'Champion' asked.

"If you start to knock out legendary Pokémon, he will get progressively angrier. As will his legendary…" Oak trailed off. "I see your problem."

"I cannot let him beat me, but I can't beat him because of the risk to the world. Any advice would be appreciated."

"I cannot guarantee that anything I say will work." Oak said. "But whatever happens, you cannot let him beat you. Having a permanent crisis of this magnitude is a sobering thought. Better to have a catastrophe now then to be at crisis permanently with a catastrophe in the future. We have to go through it eventually."

'Champion' seemed to consider his words, before nodding. "Thank you. I knew what had to be done, but hearing somebody else say it is… reassuring."

"May I ask for something in return?" Oak asked. When the Pokémon Master nodded his assent, Oak pressed on. "Although I am leaving for a long journey, there is one person I wish I didn't have to leave behind."

"I see." 'Champion' said cautiously. Oak interpreted this caution as a belief that he was about to be asked for a lot, but it wasn't. 'Champion' had guessed who the person was.

"Her name is Delia Ketchum." Oak said, watching the Pokémon Master carefully. "Her son was a Pokémon trainer who vanished years ago. She is alone in her life. I've been friends with her for a long time. Ever since she arrived in Pallet Town with a young boy, I've known her." Oak looked down. "When Ash vanished was one of the hardest times of my life. You see, I was the one who gave Ash his Pikachu, I was the one who kept encouraging him. And so I can't help but feel partly responsible for taking her son away. He was all she had." Oak broke off, his eyes watering slightly. 'Champion' saw, and his heart went out to the old man who couldn't do anything to help his closest friend.

"You're not responsible for Ash's disappearance." Samuel Oak looked up to see the piercing gaze of the Pokémon Master staring right at him. The hat had come off, and he hadn't even noticed. "Sending trainers out into the world was your job. You shouldn't feel responsible for when some of them go off training and don't come back."

Oak's eyes narrowed. "How do you know why he vanished?"

"When I was interviewing Misty Waterflower over the abuse of her Golduck she mentioned him." 'Champion' said instantly. Oak's eyes narrowed even further, but he didn't say anything. "I have also heard his name crop up once or twice since then."

"You heard his name come up once or twice since then…" Oak said dubiously. "Please, 'Champion' if you know of him, allow me to pass a message to his mother. She would do anything to hear from him."

'Champion' was the one silent now. He knew he had said too much and aroused Oak's curiosity. And despite his age, Samuel Oak was still incredibly sharp.

"I know you don't have family." Oak said, his voice wavering. "I know that your Pokémon are your family, but please, I would do anything for Delia. She has gone through such hardship in her time, she doesn't deserve to be kept in the dark over her son. She lost her husband, and I never found out how. She was brave enough to allow her only son to go out into the world to live his dream. And when he finally looked to be close to settling down, with just 'one more training session', he vanished. A few months later his Pikachu came back, saying he was dead. None of his other Pokémon were ever found, and neither was he."

Oak's back straightened. There had been a flash on 'Champions' face, a flash of something. Not sadness, not quite but a trace. Almost… regret?

"You know him don't you." Oak said, but 'Champion' still didn't answer. "You met him… He's alive?"

Ever so slightly, 'Champion' nodded.

Oak almost leapt out of his chair as he reached across the desk. "Please, I have to know everything about him! If he's alive, I can find him! I can bring him home!"

'Champion' rose to his feet, his hat back on his head. Under the tremendous physical presence, Oak shrank back into his chair in fear.

"Do not raise your voice at me." 'Champion' said, his voice not loud but commanding. "You insist I tell you about the lost trainer, but who says he wants to be found?" Still terrified, Oak was still able to notice that 'Champions' hands were shaking, despite the apparent control in his voice. "Maybe after so long he doesn't want to go home? To his friends, to his family, people he left? People who surely have moved on by now? How could he face the mother that he abandoned?"

'Champion' slowly sat back down again, as he realized what he had just done. Across the table, Oak looked stunned as he reached forwards slightly.

"Is that truly what you think? That your mother would hate you for abandoning her?"

Ash looked up, into the warm eyes of Professor Oak, who had stood up.

"You think that any of us hate you?" the old man asked. "Ash, all we want is for you to come home."

Ash slumped slightly, before standing up again. "I… I…"

"Ash, do you know how long we've…"

"Yes." Ash said bluntly. "And I'm sorry but I can't deal with this now." He took a deep breath before carrying on. The change in his composure was frightening, going from a young man faced with his considerable history to a man in complete control of himself. "Professor, I need to talk to you. At great length. However, I am also in the middle of a crisis, and the world has to come first." Oak was about to speak, but Ash held up a hand. "Please, let me finish. I will explain myself to you. I will answer all your questions. But not now. Now I need to go and see Cynthia. She has something to show me. Then I will return here and I will take you to my home."

As Ash turned to leave the room, Oak spoke again.

"You intend to talk about this on the eve of your battle?"

As he left, Ash retaliated. "No. I intend to win tomorrow, and discuss it the following evening."

The door swung shut behind him, leaving Professor Oak stunned, both with what he had discovered, and the young man that the boy he knew had become.

Ash strode into Cynthia's office, taking the seat in front of her. She looked up and smiled slightly.

"'Champion'. Thank you for dropping in."

"You said there was something I needed to see?" Ash asked.

Wordlessly Cynthia slid the report over the desk. Ash skimmed it and smiled.

"Thank you Cynthia." He said. "This tells me a great deal. It will also help."

"How will it help?" Cynthia asked. "I've requested a copy of the original, instead of this short report, but I've already gotten the gist. It's bad."

"Yes, in some ways it will be bad." Ash said calmly. "The fact that there is historical evidence for trainers who have captured legendary Pokémon can struggle to control them is useful."

"In the battle… Tobias will be having to contend with that as well." Cynthia said slowly as she realized what Ash was getting at.

"Yes."

"You think that will make him beatable?"

"He already is beatable. This will help me to prove why he needs to give up his Pokémon."

"Why does he?" Cynthia asked curiously.

"Because I wasn't completely honest with you Lance and Steven."

Cynthia blinked. The admission wasn't something she expected. She had never guessed that the Pokémon Master would have lied to her.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I didn't think you would need to know. I assume that you will be at the battle, along with Lance and Steven?"

"Yes. They arrive in the morning, in time for the fight."

"Good. You need to know the full details of what will happen in this battle."

Cynthia sat quietly, waiting. Being back to the heart of the Pokémon Master's trust meant a lot to her, and she didn't intend to let him down again.

"Regardless of who will win, I highly doubt that the battle will be finished. Each legendary Pokémon that is knocked out will draw the attention of the others. If one goes, they will be interested. As soon as a second starts to get badly injured, they will begin to come looking. Should two get knocked out in the same place, I would expect to see signs of their arrival. If it gets to three, I am almost certain that we will soon be faced with a group of legendary Pokémon, coming to defend their kin."

"But if you winning means this shouldn't you…" Cynthia trailed off as she realized the implications. Having Tobias win would not solve the problem. If he never gave up his Pokémon, this crisis would be permanent.

"You see the problem." Ash said. Cynthia nodded.

"What's your solution?" She asked.

"I've spoken to Mew and Mewtwo." Ash ignored the expression of shock on Cynthia's face. "They have agreed to stand with me against the other legendary Pokémon. They know the danger this poses. We are hoping not to have to fight them, but I can't guarantee that will not happen. Angry legendary Pokémon are not easy to placate."

"Can we do anything to help?"

"Yes." Ash replied. "When they appear, there will be panic. If you can get spectators out of the way, I will try to deal with the legendary Pokémon."

"And once that's done?"

"Hope that I don't have to fight them. I can't beat that many. Good luck Cynthia."

With that the Pokémon Master was gone. Cynthia stared after him, only drawn out of her reverie by the sound of an email arriving. She glanced at it, before realizing it was the full transcript of the diary. She started to flick through, glancing at highlighted sections.

Day 1

The Master today revealed his newest creature. He calls it Regigigas. The creature is of unbelievable power, having single-handedly defeated entire groups of Pokémon sent against it. The Master refuses to reveal where he got it from, but plans to capture more like it. He insisted that I keep a record of what he believes will be the most glorious part of history. The man who is unbeatable. I agreed.

Day 71

I am becoming concerned at the Master. He only ever uses Regigigas now, not bothering with any other creatures. He is still planning to try to capture more of these powerful creatures. I fear that if he does he will become truly unbeatable. Such a development is worrying. It is unnatural.

Day 119

The Master now has three of these powerful creatures. Each of them has untold power. He met a challenger today, somebody who travelled a long way to test his strength. Not only was the challenger destroyed, but the Master humiliated him. When he first became Master, he never did anything like this. I fear for anybody else tries to fight him.

Day 168

I am beginning to worry about the Master. He is changing. Becoming more unstable. I am trying to work out what is causing it, but I'm not sure. He came back from a trip today in a fury; he couldn't capture another of his powerful creatures. Everybody fears him now. This isn't how it is supposed to be.

Day 222

The Master is getting worse. I am convinced that his powerful creatures are behind it. He tried to set them on somebody today, but for the first time they refused him. He vanished with them afterwards. I followed to try to find out what he was doing. All I could hear were roars and screams. I crept away.

Day 273

The Master completely lost it today. His creature refused to obey him in battle, and he went ballistic. Eventually the creature attacked, but the cracks are clear for everybody to see. The Master complains of constant headaches and is permanently irritable. He is permanently over-confident in battle and out of it. I am genuinely worried for his state of mind. When he fights he feels the attacks his creatures take, almost as if he is being hit by them as well. We all worry about him.

Day 310

Today the Master came to see me. He was calm, back like he used to be. Back before the problems with his creatures. He wanted to know my honest opinions on his behaviour. After I told him that I was worried for him he went into a rage. We couldn't stop him, and had to flee. We are now homeless because of his actions.

Day 318

We have been able to move back to around the Master, but we are still cautious. Everybody is ready to flee at the slightest reason. This is no way to live. The Master needs to release his creatures, but he continues to use them in battle. Every time he does he is hurting himself.

Day 330

We have fled again. The Master is totally unreasonable. His creatures are causing chaos and he cannot control them. He put too much into trying, but they have proved too strong for even him. I fear not only for his mind, but for his life.

Day 345

Today it ended. The Master was found dead, driven insane by the pressure of trying to control such power. His creatures are gone, vanished in the aftermath of his death. It appears that he ended his own life. The marks on him were not left by any creature that we know of. To anybody who reads this record; do not try to tame the powerful ones. Their strength is not meant to be controlled. I can only hope that they are in the world to do good. Today I end this record, and mourn the loss of a leader and a friend. A man who taught us an important lesson, even at the cost of his own life.

Cynthia reached the end before she sighed. If Tobias was suffering like this 'Master' had, then perhaps losing his legendary Pokémon would be the best thing that could happen to him. If he started to get pushed harder in the battle… Cynthia shuddered. It did not bode well for the man 'Champion' was to face. Finally Cynthia understood why 'Champion' had to push for it to happen. But for the first time she started to feel sorry for Tobias.

Ash sat in a car with Oak. The two were completely silent. When he had walked back into his office, Oak had tried to say something, but Ash had simply held up a hand. As they turned towards the gates towards Mystery Island, Oak looked around in surprise.

"You live here?"

Ash just nodded, and Oak lapsed into silence. As the car pulled up in front of the house, Ash turned to Oak.

"Sam Fernandez and Mellanie Rigger are here training with me. They both know my name."

"Sam and Mellanie are here?" Oak asked. "I know them!"

"Right." Ash said. "If you could refrain from discussing too much with them, I would appreciate it."

Oak nodded nervously, and Ash climbed out of the car.

"I will also request you to remain here with them until after the battle tomorrow. I cannot be worrying about you."

As he climbed out of the car, Oak nodded again, but was surprised when Ash held out his hand.

"And for all I said at Indigo… It is good to see you again Professor." Ash said. Oak took his hand and smiled back.

"I'm proud of what you've achieved Ash" the old man said. "Now, let's go see the next generation of trainers, while you prepare for tomorrow."

Tobias stood in front of Uxie, his other Pokémon already in their Pokéballs.

"You wanted to ask me something else?" Uxie said.

"Yes. I know enough about the Pokémon Master. I know his Pokémon, I know his style, and I know he is confident. Arrogant even, enough to know that he thinks he can defeat me in a battle to show that he is right. When I face him in the morning, I intend to win. He has no chance against me."

Uxie remained silent as Tobias spoke. She felt she knew where this was going.

"However, there is one thing I don't know. I don't know his name."

Uxie didn't say anything. Her trainer paused a moment, before looking hard at Uxie.

"You do know it."

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Uxie nodded.

"Tell me."

There was a long silence, before Uxie did. Tobias held out an arm, recalling the Knowledge Pokémon. The last thing that Uxie saw as she vanished into her Pokéball was Tobias smiling.